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Pakistan confers Saudi Army Chief with Order of Excellence award

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Dr. Arif
Alvi conferred the prestigious Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence)
military award on the Saudi Army Chief on Tuesday.
The award is a state-organized civilian honor which recognizes
achievements for Pakistan or an outstanding service for one’s own
country. It is not limited to citizens of Pakistan and, while it is a
civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel.

General Fayiadh bin Hamed bin Ragad Al-Rowaily was conferred with the
award at a special ceremony – held at the President House in Islamabad
on Tuesday – which was attended by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, and other senior officials.

Later, General Al-Rowaily held a meeting with the president where the
two discussed matters of mutual interest. “Pakistan attaches great
importance to its unique and brotherly relations with the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia which are based on mutual trust and wishes to expand
cooperation in all fields,” a statement released by the President Office
read.

President Alvi expressed satisfaction at the close defense and
cooperation ties between the two countries, adding that it had scope for
more growth particularly in the field of defense production.

“He also highlighted the ever-accelerating trade and investment
relations between both the countries,” the statement read, adding that
the president underlined the importance of Pakistani expatriates who
were making tremendous contributions to the progress and development of
Saudi Arabia. “They can play an important role in the implementation of
Vision 2030 projects,” an excerpt from the statement read.

General Al-Rowaily thanked the president and the Government of Pakistan
for the honor and said that he “hoped that the bilateral relations
between the two brotherly countries would further grow in the future,”
the statement added.

The Saudi Army Chief also co-chaired the fifth round of Pak-KSA JMCC
meeting with Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Zubair
Mahmood Hayat on Tuesday. Among other things, the meeting focused on
regional security situation, bilateral military engagements, and
training cooperation between the two countries.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy deep-rooted defense ties, with the armed
forces of both the countries conducting joint exercises in Pakistan and
the Kingdom on a regular basis.

Both the nations enjoy multi-faceted cooperation at various levels, too.
Recently, Islamabad and Riyadh agreed to further enhance the existing
cooperation in diverse fields.